Uncategorized
Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble going back to the future for upcoming performance
By MYRON LOVE I am sure that the late Sarah Sommer is looking down from wherever she is, beaming at the longevity and international success the Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble has had. What began as a group of eight dancers who were in their early teens back in 1964 has blossomed into one of our Jewish community’s longest and most successful music and dance troupes – one with few rivals anywhere else in the world.
Not only has Chai regularly entertained local audiences with new and innovative Israeli and Jewish-themed dances over the years, the troupe has also performed across Canada, in the United States, Cuba, Mexico City and Israel. In fact the group has appeared in Israel three times – the last time in conjunction with the Winnipeg-based Ukrainian Rusalka Dancers – a trip that included a performance in Ukraine as well.
What is truly amazing about Chai is that the organization – from performers to directors to backstage support people has always been made up entirely of volunteers.
For Chai’s next performance on Sunday, May 31, in the aternoonn, Sarah Sommer (yes, the granddaughter and namesake of the original Sarah Sommer) and Jesse Popeski, the troupe’s co-artistic directors , are reaching into the past, as well as looking forward.
Popeski and Sommer describe the upcoming production, titled Al Kol Eleh: Hebrew Songs of Hope as “a celebration of community, resilience, and joy, brought to life by the Chai Folk Ensemble.”
According to the Chai website, “at a time when our community is deeply seeking connection, meaning, and light, Al Kol Eleh offers a powerful message of hope and strength through music and dance.”
The concert will feature long-time Chai favourites alongside new works and a unifying medley of songs by Naomi Shemer, the “First Lady of Israeli Song.” “This moving feature piece,” notes the website, “set to new choreography by Rachel Cooper, honours our past, present, and future of the Chai Folk Ensemble as one community.”
In addition to Chai’s regular complement of about 30 dancers, singers and musicians, Al Kol Eleh will feature a group of Chai alumni along with 25 children from the community.
“We invite Chai alumni to join us for a performance every five years or so,” notes Sommer, who joined Chai in 2008 while still in high school and has been co-artistic director since 2022. (Popeski has been a member of Chai since 2015.) “This is the first time in 25 years though that we are including children in our program. We made the decision to reach out to kids between 11 and 14.”
“Twenty-five teens and pre-teens have answered the call,” Popeski continues. “They are regularly rehearsing with us. Our singers and dancers are showing them the ropes and mentoring them. We are eager to welcome any kids who want to be part of our ensemble and are willing to put in the work.”
Sommer reports that the venue for the performance (which, for security reasons, will only be revealed to ticket buyers after the purchase of tickets) has a capacity of about 500. “With all our performers’ family members, friends and classmates, we are looking forward to a packed house.”
There is also a charitable aspect to the production. In conjunction with the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, Chai will be including in its upcoming program a new composition by Manitoba composer Peter Meechan titled “Wave of Light.” The composition came about as the result of a province-wide musical initiative supporting the work of the Foundation.
The composer created the piece with the goal of making it accessible and teachable for bands at all levels—from beginner to advanced – anywhere in our province. The composition is intended to resonate with anyone who has been touched by cancer.
“We are donating a portion of the proceeds from our concert to CancerCare Manitoba,” Sommer notes. “We are also encouraging ticket buyers to add a small donation to the Foundation.
“We are looking forward to a great show.”
Readers who are interested in buying tickets for Al Kol Eleh: Hebrew Songs of Hope can phone the Chai office at 204 477-7497, email info@chai.ca, or go online to www.chai.ca.
Uncategorized
Hezbollah Says Ceasefire ‘Meaningless’ as Fighting Continues in South
Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in a village in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army operates in it as seen from the Israeli side of the border, April 23, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Ayal Margolin
Lebanon’s Hezbollah said a US-mediated ceasefire in the war with Israel was meaningless a day after it was extended for three weeks, as Lebanese authorities reported two people killed by an Israeli strike and Hezbollah downed an Israeli drone.
US President Donald Trump announced the three-week extension on Thursday after hosting Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors at the White House. The ceasefire agreement between the governments of Lebanon and Israel had been due to expire on Sunday.
While the ceasefire has led to a significant reduction in hostilities, Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have continued to trade blows in southern Lebanon, where Israel has kept soldiers in a self-declared “buffer zone.”
Responding to the extension, Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad said “it is essential to point out that the ceasefire is meaningless in light of Israel’s insistence on hostile acts, including assassinations, shelling, and gunfire” and its demolition of villages and towns in the south.
“Every Israeli attack… gives the resistance the right to a proportionate response,” he added.
Hezbollah is not a party to the ceasefire agreement, and has strongly objected to Lebanon’s face-to-face contacts with Israel.
BUFFER ZONE
The April 16 agreement does not require Israeli troops to withdraw from the belt of southern Lebanon seized during the war. The zone extends 5 to 10 km (3 to 6 miles) into Lebanon.
Israel says the buffer zone aims to protect northern Israel from attacks by Hezbollah, which fired hundreds of rockets at Israel during the war.
Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on March 2, when the group opened fire in support of Iran in the regional war. The ceasefire in Lebanon emerged separately from Washington’s efforts to resolve its conflict with Tehran, though Iran had called for Lebanon to be included in any broader truce.
Nearly 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since March 2, the Lebanese health ministry says.
ISRAELI MILITARY WARNS RESIDENTS TO LEAVE TOWN
Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli airstrike killed two people in the southern village of Touline on Friday.
Hezbollah shot down an Israeli drone, the group and the Israeli military said. Hezbollah identified it as a Hermes 450 and said it had downed it with a surface-to-air missile.
An Israeli drone was heard circling above Beirut throughout the day on Friday, Reuters reporters said.
The Israeli military warned residents of the southern town of Deir Aames to leave their homes immediately, saying it planned to act against “Hezbollah activities” there.
Deir Aames is located north of the area occupied by Israeli forces, and it was the first time Israel had issued such a warning since the ceasefire came into force on April 16. Posted on social media, the Israeli warning gave no details of the activities it said Hezbollah was conducting in the town.
The Israeli military also said it had intercepted a drone prior to its crossing into Israeli territory, and that sirens were sounded in line with protocol.
WAR-WEARY RESIDENTS SEEK END TO FIGHTING
The continued fighting has angered war-weary Lebanese, who say they want to see a genuine ceasefire put a full halt to violence.
“What’s this? Is this called a ceasefire? Or is this mocking (people’s) intelligence?” said Naem Saleh, a 73-year-old owner of a newsstand in Beirut.
Residents of northern Israel had mostly returned to daily life, but expressed pessimism about the longevity of the ceasefire with Lebanon.
“I believe that the ceasefire is so fragile, and unfortunately it won’t stand long, in my opinion,” said Eliad Eini, a resident of Nahariya, which lies just 10 km (6 miles) from the border with Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Israeli strikes killed at least five people in the south, including a journalist.
Israel’s Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter, in his opening remarks at Thursday’s talks, said “Lebanon should acknowledge the temporary presence of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and the right of Israel to defend itself from a hostile force that is firing on the population.”
Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States Nada Moawad, in a written statement sent to Reuters, called for the ceasefire to be fully respected and said it would allow the necessary conditions for meaningful negotiations.
Lebanon has said it aims to secure the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from its territory in broader talks with Israel at a later stage.
Trump said on Thursday that he looked forward to hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the near future, and said there was “a great chance” the two countries would reach a peace agreement this year.
Hezbollah attacks killed two civilians in Israel after March 2, while 15 Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon since then, Israel says.
Uncategorized
Only Five Ships Pass Through Strait of Hormuz in 24 hours
FILE PHOTO: A map showing the Strait of Hormuz is seen in this illustration taken March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Only five ships, including one Iranian oil products tanker, have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, Friday shipping data showed, after Iran seized two container ships this week and the US continues to blockade Iranian ports.
Shipping traffic passing through the crucial waterway at the entrance to the Gulf during an uneasy ceasefire between Washington and Tehran represents a fraction of the average 140 daily passages before the Iran war began on February 28.
“For most shipping companies, they will need a stable ceasefire and assurances from both sides of the conflict that the Strait of Hormuz is safe to transit,” said Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at shipping association BIMCO.
“In the meantime, shipping will be restricted to using routes close to Iran and Oman. Due to their confined nature, these routes cannot safely accommodate the normal volumes of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Larsen added.
The Iranian-flagged oil products tanker Niki, which is subject to US sanctions, was among the few vessels that sailed out of the strait with no destination listed, Kpler analysis and tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform showed on Friday.
It was unclear what would happen if it continued to sail further east towards the blockade line imposed by the US Navy.
Nearly two months after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, there is little sign of peace talks resuming.
Container shipping group Hapag-Lloyd said on Friday that one of its ships has crossed the strait but did not provide any information on the circumstances or timing.
The Comoros-flagged supertanker Helga arrived at an offshore oil loading terminal in Iraq’s southern Basra port on Friday, the second vessel to reach Iraq since the strait’s closure.
Iran’s use of a swarm of small, fast boats to seize two container ships near the strait on Wednesday has heightened concerns among many shipping and oil companies.
“The latest seizures make clear, even an ‘open’ Strait of Hormuz is not a safe Strait of Hormuz for seafarers, ships and cargo,” Peter Sand, chief analyst with ocean and air freight intelligence platform Xeneta, said in a note.
Between April 22 and early April 23, seven vessels transited the strait, six of which were involved in Iran-related trade, analysis from Lloyd’s List Intelligence showed.
The closure of the strait has disrupted a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies and triggered a global energy crisis.
Hundreds of ships and 20,000 seafarers remained stranded inside the Gulf with war risk insurers and oil companies watching for any sign that the risks may have eased so they can prepare to sail through.
Uncategorized
11-Year-Old Girl Succumbs to Wounds from Iranian Missile Strike
A photo of Nesya Karadi. Photo: courtesy of her family.
i24 News – An 11-year-old girl has died nearly three weeks after being critically injured by an Iranian missile strike on her family home.
Nesya Karadi passed away Friday at Sheba Medical Center, becoming the 21st civilian fatality in Israel since the current conflict began on February 28.
The attack occurred on April 1, just hours before the start of Passover. Officials confirmed the strike involved an Iranian missile equipped with a cluster warhead; a sub-munition directly hit the Karadi home, wounding 14 people.
Among the injured was Nesya’s father, a volunteer with the Magen David Adom paramedic service. In a final act of heroism before losing consciousness from his own injuries, he reportedly administered life-saving first aid to his daughter.
Hanoch Zeibert, the Mayor of Bnei Brak, expressed the city’s deep grief over the loss of a “pure child whose whole life was ahead of her,” pledging the municipality’s full support to the Karadi family during their ordeal